7 Holiday Gift Ideas for the Home Cook In Your Life | Specialty Ingredients

Many aspects of the holidays are bound to look and feel different this year. While family get-togethers may feature more social distance than before (you finally have an excuse to avoid interaction your weird cousins for once) , one aspect of celebration will not change - the struggle to find the perfect present.

In our view, the best presents are ones that inspire action. If we receive a present that are excited to use, then we consider it to be a great gift. At that point, it no longer becomes about the physical object, but rather the experience that is created with with. Similarly, we aim to share presents that encourage others to take action in their own lives.

As far as we are concerned, there is not better present than the gift of food, since it is the perfect vessel to capture new experiences and memories. Odds are that if you are reading through this gift guide looking for inspiration, you probably have someone in your life who loves to cook. If you are looking for some inspiration for the perfect present for the home cook in your life, we recommend the following:

Kisondoo Gochujang

Hot take: Gochujang is the ultimate stocking stuffer.

A staple of Korean cuisine, gochujang is a thick, fermented chile paste that is funky, spicy, and sweet. While variations are now available at most major grocery stories, upgrading your pantry with specialty gochujang made from natural ingredients via traditional production methods passed down within a family over 10 generations.

Kisondoo gochujang stands out for their commitment to quality at every step in the fermentation process from sourcing the best available ingredients to using barrels that enhances flavor development. Additionally, their gochujang is aged for at least six months to allow it to fully develop its umami flavor. The end result is a versatile product with deep flavors that is ripe for experimentation in your own test kitchen.

Zejd Pomegranate Molasses

Friendly disclaimer: This pomegranate molasses is so good you may begin trying to drink it on its own. If you have none left to cook with after opening the bottle, at least we tried to warn you.

When thinking through pantry staples, pomegranate molasses is often overlooked and underutilized by many home cooks. However, thanks to Zejd, it is has become one of our pantry essentials. We first became exposed to them during our travels through Lebanon. As a favorite of local chefs and vendors, their thoughtful approach to embracing traditional cooking techniques with eco-friendly, organic cultivation is highlighted in their all of their offerings.

It is a brand that reflects our values within the food system, and it is a product that will transform your salads, sauces, and marinades. Simple food, quality ingredients, executed to perfection. Elevate your pantry and thank us later.

Honorable Mention: We are also huge fans of their extra virgin olive oil as well, and use it frequently as a daily drizzle (Yes, we invented that term just now, but you know what we mean).

White Rose Miso Paste

If there is anyone is your life that regularly uses miso, there is arguably no better gift than a high quality, artisanal miso paste.

Miso is an ingredient worthy of celebration, and to be highlighted through your cooking. It should not just take up space in your refrigerator. Through fermentation, soybeans, salt, and wheat are transformed into a dynamic and versatile condiment. White Rose Miso has immersed themselves into this process through their commitment to producing small batch miso pastes using local ingredients.

As an offshoot of Keepwell Vinegar brand, White Rose Miso has gained notoriety among chefs and homecooks for their creative flavors (sweet potato miso anyone!?) and quality products.

Substituting White Rose Miso in for the store-bought brands will transform any dish cooking. Taste, texture, and consistency are all significantly enhanced compared to the store-bought brands. Anyone who cooks with miso should immediately notice the difference.

Maybe as a thank you, you could receive an invitation to a Japanese dinner party.

How to Order: For inquiries about White Rose Miso, please email orders@keepwellvinegar.com. All orders are shipped via USPS Priority Mail.

Guelaguetza Mole Paste

Mole means love. And there’s no better way to show it than with the gift of food. The Mexican chocolate sauce has many iterations, but all have one thing in common, a laundry list of hard-to-source ingredients, and a lengthy cooking process. Again, mole means love.

Thanksfully, Guelaguetza, the James Beard Award Winning Restaurant, has developed an outlet for us to show our affection for others through their mole pastes.

Typically, we are not ones for kitchen shortcuts. We try to make as much from scratch as possible, and will go the extra mile reflect traditional cooking processes and techniques. But we seriously love this mole paste. It is less a shortcut and more a supplement. Guelaguetza has done the hard part for you but sourcing, cooking, and packaging mole’s signature flavors into a 16 oz. container.

Seriously, you about 1 hour away from the best mole of your life.

De La Gente Coffee

If you have a socially-conscious, caffeine addict in your life, you will be hard-pressed to find a better organization to support than De La Gente Coffee. The Guatemalan co-operative works with local coffee farms across the country to create economic opportunities for the local communities and families. This starts with their supply chain in which farmers earn more up to 30% more selling through De La Gente compared to the typical options for commerce. In addition, they are focused on improving the quality of life for those involved in the coffee trade by assisting the local communities in building equity for their land and harvests.

Much of the Guatemalan coffee trade is based upon exploitation of the local communities at the hands of foreign investors and economic corruption. This alone is a message worthy of your attention and investment, but De La Gente genuinely produces a worldclass product. They have been recognized internationally for the quality of their beans. As one of the globe’s preeminent coffee producers, Guatemala has a geographic diversity which creates a wide range of flavor profiles and characteristics. De La Gente works across the country to capture this diversity in their offerings. While you cannot go wrong with any of their beans, our favorite are from the San Miguel Co-Op, outside of Antigua.

There’s no better start to your day than coffee with a side of social justice.

Nixtimal Starter Kit

There’s a lot more to authentic tortillas than making your own masa dough and buying a tortilla press. We have been trying to answer the following question for a while now:

Why are our homemade tortillas and pupusas not as good as the best Mexican and Salvadoran restaurants?

The answer: Nixtimalization.

Nixtamalization is the ancient, Mesoamerican process of steeping corn kernels with an alkaline ingredient (e.g., slaked lime, ash, etc.). This process softens the corn, imparts calcium, and activates essential amino acids and vitamins. The masa that is created through this undertaking significantly different than that from store-bought masa flour.

Masienda’s nixtimal starter kit not only outlines every step of the process, but includes everything you’ll need to make your own tortillas. We’re talking heritage corn kernels with a commercial-grade tortilla press. It’s time to take your Taco Tuesdays to the next level

Bonus: Choi Sauce boss Jam

Small batch jams using local produce from the diverse, talented individuals who write this blog. Think SQRL LA, but sanitary.

DM us on Instragram. Our jam’s are FIRE.

We’re always on the lookout for new products and ingredients. Let us know your favorites below!